Mine did not exhibit that characteristic (m) (archive)

I could not feel the difference between the brakes on my '95 525iTA and my '94 530im. The brake booster location (long actuation rods etc.) did not seem to make a difference. The 530im did quite well on the race track with stock brakes. I did not experience pedal play. As soon as I touch the pedal, the brakes activate in a rather linear predictable manner (i.e. earns your confindence.

I pay attention to brake maintenance and never let the brake fluid go longer than 2 years without changing.

Were your brakes always this way, or have you done something that may have introduced an air bubble or moisture in the system? Jim

: Anyone else bothered by the feel of the 540 brakes? In short, too much travel, not enough feel.

: There seems to be excessive (1-1.5") of pedal travel without any braking action. Also, once braking begins, the pedal travel seems long and braking power not as precisely progressive as would be hoped for. If pushed, the brakes will trigger ABS -- ultimate stopping power seems unaffected just difficult to regulate.

: I'm going to replace the lines and flush/bleed the system soon (parts on the way), but wondered if others had any other ideas.

: Has anyone adjusted the brake linkage (Note: this is a 540/530 specific question as the brake booster is not located on the firewall but behind the left front headlights)? It looks like the long connecting rod could be adjusted to either a)preload (for lack of a better term) the master cylinder a bit, or b) change the pedal height. A bit of preload on the MC might help the initial pedal travel assuming it did not result in dragging brakes and allowed the calipers to release with the release of the brake pedal.

: I'll keep my fingers crossed that bleeding the brakes will fix my woes, but, unfortunately, I suspect there's more to it than that.

: Ryan

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